The ClippersÕ Tobias Harris #34 lays the ball up as the NuggetsÕ Will Barton defends during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers during their game against the Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Monte Morris #11 has the ball stolen by the ClippersÕ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Monte Morris #11 has the ball stolen by the ClippersÕ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The ClippersÕ Danilo Gallinari #8 shoots during their game against the Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

TheClippersÕ Lou Williams #23 during their game against the Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Will Barton #5 lays the ball up as the ClippersÕ Marcin Gortat #13 defends during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Nikola Jokic #15 attempts to dunk the ball as the ClippersÕ Marcin Gortat #13 defends during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The ClippersÕ Patrick Beverley #21 during their game against the Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Will Barton #5 shoots as the ClippersÕ Marcin Gortat #13 defends during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Will Barton #5 lays the ball up as the ClippersÕ Danilo Gallinari #8 defends during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Will Barton #5 and the ClippersÕ Montrezl Harrell #5 collide during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Gary Harris #14 looses the ball as a host of Clippers defenders move in during their game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The ClippersÕ Lou Williams #23 during their game against the Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The NuggetsÕ Trey Lyles #7 is fouled as time expires in the third period during their game against the Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Denver Nuggets’ Gary Harris (14) drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers argues a call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

The Los Angeles Clippers line up for the singing of the National Anthem before their game against the Denver Nuggets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

LOS ANGELES — Patrick Beverley took the microphone before tip-off of the Clippers’ season opener Wednesday at Staples Center and promised a sellout crowd of 19,068 a “hell of a season” ahead.

It was heck of a start, anyway, for the referees’ whistles and the basket at the south end of Staples Center, which needed some realigning in the fourth quarter after a few especially punishing dunks by Boban Marjanovic in the Clippers’ 107-98 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

In a foul-plagued first outing by both teams (they were whistled for 54 combined, with the home team responsible for 32), Clippers rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played like he belonged, contributing 11 points and four assists in his first 28 minutes of official NBA action – and Marjanovic did his best to lift the Clippers over the hump.

They’d spent most of the game nipping at the Nuggets’ heels until finally catching them and clawing ahead by as much as 92-84 with 5:14 left. That was thanks to an 11-3 run highlighted by a pair of 3-point plays by Marjanovic, the 7-foot-3 fan favorite who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes.

A big dunk by the biggest man on the floor with 8:32 left in the game cut the Nuggets’ lead to 81-78. His pal Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 81-81. And then Gilgeous-Alexander found Marjanovic for another monster flush that lifted most people in the building out of their seats, left the rim rocking for several seconds and gave the Clippers the lead – by three, thanks to Marjanovic’s free throw, made to a smattering of M-V-P chants.

“He’s going to play, he’s going to play every night, and on the nights he plays well, he’s going to keep playing,” Coach Doc Rivers said of Marjanovic. “We had him (in) a little too long there. They started adjusting to him on the other end and I thought they hurt us, but overall, he was sensational.”

The Clippers’ advantage was largest after Gallinari’s fourth 3-pointer (he was 4 for 7 from behind the arc) and a pair of free throws from Harris that made it 92-84.

But the Nuggets answered with a decisive 11-2 spurt of their own.

Nikola Jokic gave Denver the lead for good with 1:24 left on a putback off Jamal Murray’s missed jumper.

Lou Williams’ 3-pointer closed the gap to 103-98 with 22.2 seconds left, but Paul Millsap sank four of four six free-throw attempts as the game wound down to push the final margin to nine.

Harris led the Clippers with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Beforehand, Rivers said his Clippers – who defeated the Nuggets 109-103 in an exhibition game on Oct. 9 – expected to be fed a steady diet of Jokic, Denver’s dynamic center/facilitator, who averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds last season.

“They’re better than they played last year, but they’re playing that (same) way,” Rivers said. “They’re playing even more through the big fella. I thought last year, they went back and forth playing that way. Watching them in their preseason games, every possession, they’re throwing it to him. I would too, he’s that good.”

As anticipated, the Clippers’ centers had their hands full with Jokic, who appeared to get a few of the benefit-of-the-doubt calls that stars often do.

Marcin Gortat drew two fouls within the first six minutes and Harrell picked up two in his six first-half minutes, paving the way for Marjanovic to come in and give the Clippers eight points and five rebounds in six minutes of first-half reinforcement.

“I didn’t throw off my rotation, it might have thrown off their rhythm though,” Rivers said of the significant number of foul calls. “The game’s being called tight, it really is. The fans got to watch a lot of free throws tonight and I don’t think that’s very exciting.

“It’s not the officials’ fault, it really isn’t,” Rivers continued. “They’ve told us how they’re going to call the game, so you have to adjust. You have to move your feet. That’s what we should be doing anyway, really.”

Gallinari had 16 points and eight rebounds and Williams had 14 points and five assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander – who also had two rebounds and a steal – became the 20th player in team history to score 10 points or more in his NBA debut.

“I thought he did the best job of going downhill, getting into the paint, and either finishing or making plays out,” Rivers said of the Clippers’ prized rookie. “We talked about it all week, too. You can get downhill against them, but they’re a great help team, and the guy driving is probably not gonna get the shot – it’s got to be a pass. Shai stood out as one guy who kept making the right plays.”

The Clippers shot just 40 percent from the field, including 8 for 28 from the 3-point line.

Jokic, one of his nostrils plugged with gauze for part of the second half, finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Gary Harris finished with 20 points, Will Barton added 19 and Millsap had 11 points and 16 rebounds for Denver, which outscored the Clippers 23-6 over the final 5:07.

“Opening night, we want to win the game,” Tobias Harris said. “Our fans gave us some great support tonight and really excited us, especially when we made a run. Obviously, the game didn’t go as we had planned, but there are some takeaways we can get better at and grow on.”

Mirjam Swanson covers the Clippers and the NBA for the Southern California News Group. Previously, she wrote about LeBron James and the rest of the Dream Team at the 2004 Olympics (where, yes, they took bronze) and Tiger Woods’ last (for now) major championship. Most recently, she’s covered city government, education and the occasional bear in a backyard.